Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 433 Sacrifice to Heaven
"Why didn't you pass?" Erzhu Rong asked in a deep voice.

The flickering candlelight in the large tent made Hou Jing's face appear terrifying, and then he answered in a deep voice:
"Because the soldiers are cheering for the new emperor of the country, not for Yuan Ziyou... Even if the Duke were replaced by 'Yuan Ziwu' or 'Yuan Zidan', they would behave the same way."

“Indeed,” Erzhu Rong said with a wry smile, “Since the founding of the Great Wei, Tuoba Tianxia has become deeply ingrained in people’s hearts.” He paused and sighed, “This makes me worry that the Emperor will become too powerful to control in the future…”

"That's for sure!" Hou Jing said decisively. "Moreover, if I may be so bold, Your Excellency is blinded by the current smooth progress and is being overly optimistic."

"What do you mean?" Erzhu Rong's face darkened.

"Your Excellency has only ten thousand men, no outstanding military achievements, and has come from afar. You have no foundation in the court." Hou Jing bluntly said, "The reason why you are advancing so rapidly and defeating everyone is because the court and the people have suffered under the Empress Dowager for too long. Your Excellency is using the pretext of avenging the late emperor and establishing a new emperor to appease the people's hearts."

These words were extremely harsh, practically saying that the people in the court were using you as a tool to deal with Empress Dowager Hu's faction.

Erzhu Rong's breathing grew heavier, but he still gestured for Hou Jing to continue. "Now that the Empress Dowager has become a nun and the new emperor has been established, people like Zheng Yan are not worth mentioning. What use are they to you, my lord? They would definitely all be hoping that you would hurry back to Hebei to fight Ge Rong, instead of staying in the capital and causing trouble for others."

With a bang, Erzhu Rong slammed the heavy table into dust, his face flushed red. Hou Jing had clearly touched a raw nerve. Despite his constant imitation of Cao Cao, his deep-seated inferiority complex made him doubt that a mere Qihu could hold the position of prime minister and command the court officials like Cao Cao.

In fact, he didn't even have the confidence to be Dong Zhuo, whose background was not as lowly as his... Erzhu Rong was certain that no matter how respectful those princes and ministers were to his face, they would definitely call him a "barbarian dog" behind his back.

"Hmph, you're wrong!" Erzhu Rong gritted his teeth and said, "Even if I pacify Ge Rong and Du Luozhou and recover all the lost territories, they will still despise me, this Qihu!"

"Your Excellency is absolutely right." Hou Jing nodded, then said ominously, "If we cannot carry out thorough punishments and instead cultivate our own factions, I fear that before Your Excellency even reaches Taihang Mountain on your return north, internal strife will ensue!"

It means that if you don't thoroughly purge and replace him with your own trusted confidants, you will be sidelined as soon as you leave Luoyang.

“That makes sense…” Erzhu Rong nodded slowly, then said grimly, “We definitely need to kill a lot of them!”

He paused for a moment, then added, "If we're going to do it all, let's go all the way and kill them all!"

~~
However, this was a serious matter, and he needed to consult with his trusted confidants before taking action.

Of course, I wouldn't say it so bluntly... I'm worried they'll look down on me, so I'm going to kill them all.

He switched to a high-sounding statement, saying, "The Great Wei has fallen to such a state today, which is by no means something that Empress Dowager Hu and a few male favorites could have done. It is because all the officials in the court are heartless and treacherous, only knowing how to embezzle and accept bribes, and fighting for power and profit. Not one of them cares about the country!"

"Yes!" The generals nodded in unison, then heard their lord continue with a murderous glint in his eyes:

"If we don't eliminate all these corrupt officials and replace them with virtuous and capable people, how can the country turn things around? As the saying goes, 'No destruction, no construction.' I've decided to take advantage of the occasion when all the officials come out to welcome us and execute them all, restoring a bright and clear world to Great Wei. What do you all think?!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The members of the Erzhu family were all cruel and bloodthirsty, so they naturally agreed wholeheartedly. Slaughtering noble princes and ministers was a pleasure they had always dreamed of.

"..." None of the generals from the six garrisons, including Gao Huan and Heba Yue, voiced their opposition.

They can't be blamed for this; don't forget how the Six Garrisons Uprising started. The blame lies with those high-ranking officials in the court; they truly treated them like dirt…

Even someone as loyal to the court as Heba Yue wished he could kill all those high-ranking princes, ministers, and civil officials to seek justice for the elders of the Six Garrisons.

So although he felt that killing them all was too insane, he only suggested leaving some upright and talented officials alive, instead of killing them all indiscriminately. "Alright." Erzhu Rong nodded. Of course, Heba Yue didn't need to comment on who should be spared.

"Your Excellency, you absolutely must not!" Only Murong Shaozong firmly opposed. He was not from one of the Six Garrisons, but a distant cousin of Erzhu Rong. As a member of the Xianbei Murong clan, he was calm and composed, and had always been highly regarded by Erzhu Rong.

"My lord, you have lofty ambitions and should plan carefully. You cannot act rashly and disappoint the people. Our progress this time has been so smooth because the people of the world hate Empress Dowager Hu. If you were to kill all the officials in the court, you would be the second Empress Dowager Hu!"

"Haha, Brother Murong, you're exaggerating." Seeing that the vast majority of people supported him, Erzhu Rong naturally wouldn't listen to Murong Shaozong's advice.

"My lord..." Murong Shaozong was about to persuade him, but Erzhu Rong waved his hand and said, "Alright, my mind is made up. The day after tomorrow, at the Heyin sacrifice, all the soldiers will be fully armed. At my command, we will wipe out all those treacherous dogs in the court!"

"Understood!" the generals roared in response.

“Sigh…” Murong Shaozong could only lower his head and remain silent.

~~
The next morning, Erzhu Rong ordered his men to spread the word that a grand ceremony to worship Heaven would be held in Heyin.

According to Xianbei custom, when a new emperor ascends the throne, he and representatives of the seven imperial clans would cover their heads with black felt and bow to the west to signify an alliance between the emperor and the seven clans.

Even after Emperor Xiaowen adopted Sinicization, this significant custom was still preserved and can be seen as the Xianbei's coronation ceremony.

Therefore, all the officials thought it was only right and proper. From Emperor Xiaowen's younger brother Yuan Yong down, everyone dutifully attended on time.

Erzhu Rong even specially ordered that the young emperor and the old nun be invited along as well.

The little emperor is only three years old; he can be picked up and taken away easily, making him very easy to please.

But the old nun was a bit more complicated...

"The past is gone, like smoke in the wind. What happens in the future is none of my concern." Dressed in a nun's robe, Madam Hu refused to leave the Garan Temple no matter how much she was persuaded. She acted as if she were no longer involved in the mortal world.

"Do whatever you want, just don't bother me."

"You've had enough of this mess and now you want to walk away? No way!" Erzhu Shilong, who had come to fetch her, lost his patience and cursed, "You won't listen to reason, so here you are, help the Empress Dowager change her clothes and get her into the carriage!"

"How dare you..." the young nuns beside them shouted angrily.

Erzhu Shilong then drew his knife and swiftly chopped off several bald heads before spitting at the nuns who were paralyzed with fear on the ground, saying, "Don't you understand the situation!"

Despite being ruthless enough to kill even her own son, Empress Dowager Hu was so terrified by the sight of a mass of heads that she collapsed to the ground and wet her pants...

After that, she stopped talking and, like a puppet, put on the Empress Dowager's phoenix robe. Then she was put into a carriage and joined the young emperor who had been waiting outside the temple for a long time, along with more than two thousand princes and officials, and they went to Heyin to offer sacrifices to Heaven!

(End of this chapter)